Electric horn.



R. R. ROOT.

ELECTRIC HORN.

APPLICATION FILED MAR.31, 1913.

1,077,307. Patented Nov. 4, 1913.

74 WineSJeS substantially circular flange PATENT @FFTQE.

RALPH R. BOOT, CLEVELAND, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE ADAMS-BAGNALL ELECTRIC COMPANY, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF OHIO.

ELECTRIC HORN.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 4, 1913.

TaaZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, RALPH R. -Roo'r, a citizen of the United States residing at Cleveland, in the county of .uyahoga and State of Ohio, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Electric Horns,- of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to signal horns, wherein the sound is produced by a vibrating diaphragm, the vibration being produced by blows transmitted from a moving armature.

The object of the invention is to produce a device of the character described which is simple and durable in construction and effective in operation.

Generally speaking, the invention comprises the elements and combinations thereof set forth in the accompanying claims.

Reference should be had to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, in which Figure 1 is a side elevation of the horn and operating mechanism with portions removed. Fig. 2 is a section on the line 3 3 of Fig. 1 looking toward the left of the section line. Fig. 3 is a section substantially on the line 3-3 of F ig. 1, looking toward the right of the section line. Fig. 4 is a top plan view upon line 44 of Fig. 2. Fig. 5 IS a fragmentary plan View of the plate which carries the armaturefspring.

The horn which forms the subject of this invention relates to the type of horns which are known as the vibrating type. In this type of horn a diaphragm is caused to be flexed against its own inherent tension, by blows which are struck upon it, or some means fastened to it through the agency of an armature, the armature being inoved by electro-magnetic means.

In the drawing, standard which is provided with a central opening having a bead around vthe outside thereof, as represented at 2. This bead serves as a support or as a means for securing the horn hell 3, which is of usual contour, and will need no particular description. The standard 1 is bounded by an outer Within the cup shaped part of the standard 1 there are suitable supports, as indicated at 5 against which rest the diaphragm 1 represents a cup shaped in horns of this construction, of material which isinherently resilient. That is to say, it returns to its original condition after having been struck a blow. At substantially the center of the disk there is fastened a post 7 which extends inwardly through a hole in a plate 8. The plate 8 rests upon a retaining ring 9 which is preferably of resilient material and bears against the outer flange 4. This resilient ring serves to hold the diaphragm in place and to space the plate 8 from the diaphragm. The plate 8 is held by suitable screws, as indicated at 10,these screws passing through the plate 8 and through portions of the diaphragm and engaging the screw threaded openings in the standard 1. Upon the plate there are secured upright posts indicated at 11 and 12,-

these posts servlng as spindles to receive the spools or coils 13 which are wound with a hollow center of proper size to fit the posts 11 and 12. These posts thus serve as cores 7 15 which is resilient and forms the continuation of a plate 16. The plate is formed near its forward end with openings 17 which are intersected by other openings 18, the

openings 18 being of less diameter than the openings 17. The pole pieces 11 and 12 are, just below their upper ends, slightly undercut, and the diameter of the holes 18 is just the diameter of the pole pieces at their reduced portion. Therefore, when the plate 16 is slipped over the pole piece through the larger opening 17 and is pulled so that the pole pieces are cooperating, with the smaller openings 18, the plate 16 will be held in a manner that will be readily understood. The plate 16 is supported upon tubular members 19, the same being shown in Figs. 1 and 4:. The tubular member 19 is hollow, and the opening therein is arranged to register with an opening in the plate 16. Above the plate 16 is a short tubular member 20 and above the tubular member 20 is a cross member 21 which-extends between the two tubular uprights he;etofore explained. Through the member 21 are openings at the ends thereof through which screw bolts 22 are placed, these extending down through the tubular elements 19 and 20,

' flange 27 through which may extend suitable and through the openings in the plate 16 and engage with screw threaded openings in the plate 8, thereby holding the whole structure rigidly against movement.

A post 31 of insulating material is secured to the base plate 8. This post serves as a support for the terminals of the coils of the electro-magnets, which wires are led beneath a contact screw 35 which engages and holds the wires as well as serves as a contact.

As will be clear from the drawings, the tongue 15 is bent so as to pass beneath the cross member 21, and extending downwardly is secured to the armature 1 1.. The cross member 21 is provided with an opening substantially in the central portion thereof which is screw threaded and receives a screw threaded member having a head, as indi cated at 23. This member 23 may be moved to bear with more or less force upon the tongue 15 so as to vary the distance of vibration of the armature with respect to the poles of the electro-magnet. For the urpose of locking the screw 23 in place, 1 orin the member 21 with a slot, as indicated at 24:, and provide a screw 25 which is adapted to draw together the two portions of the members 21 which are separated by the slot. The cross member 21 is entirely insulated from the elements which form its support. As shown in Fig. 4: there are insulating Washers surrounding the bolts 22 above and below the cross member 21, and further the openings through the member 21 which re ceive the bolts 22 are lined with insulating material.

The mechanism thus far described is inclosed by a cup shaped cover 26 which is rovided with an outwardly extending means for securing the cover to the base plate 8. Through the cover 26 is an opening 28 which is provided with an-insulating bushing 29 through which extend the conductors 30 which are to furnish the device with electricity. These conductors are secured to contact members 31 and 32 in any suitable manner. The contact members are resilient and are adapted when the cover is placed over the mechanism in the position shown in Fig. 1 to contact with the contact screw 35 and with the regulating screw 23. The contacts are insulated from each other and from the cover. They are held by a nut or bolt which extends through an opening in the cover and between the contact pieces.

The current path through the device as herein explained, if we assume the contact 31 to be positive, will be through the screw 35 and the wire from the spools 13 which is carried by the post 34, thence through the wire and spools 13 to the metallic sleeves which are within the coils; thence to the noraeor posts 11 and 12 through the base 16 and tongue 15 to the regulating screw 23, which, itwill be seen, cooperates with the contact 32, thus completing the circuit. Obviously, as the current is turned on, the flux which will be developed between the cores of the spools 13 will serve to attract the armature 1 1 in accordance with the'well known law, and in so doing, it will strike a blow against the post 7 which extends into proper position to meet the armature as it moves toward the spools 13. As soon as the armature 14:: moves forward contact is broken between the tongue 15 and the regulating screw 23, and under the resiliency of the tongue 15 the armature is carried back to its original position. As soon, however, as it reaches its original position, the cur rent is again made through the regulating screw 23, and the tongue 15, so that the armature is again attracted. This operation takes place with great frequency so that the post 7 is struck by the armature a great many times and the post 7 communicates the blows thus struck to the diaphragm which, rapidly vibrating, emits a sound. The pitch of the sound, that is whether it be high or low, is a function of the thickness of the diaphragm as well as the rapidity with which the post 7 is struck.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. In a horn, the combination of a base plate, a diaphragm spaced from said base plate, a post mounted upon the diaphragm and extending through an opening in the base plate,core pieces mounted upon the base plate, electric magnetic coils supported upon said pole pieces, the pole pieces extending slightly beyond the ends of the said coils, the said post which is mounted upon the diaphragm extending slightly beyond the pole pieces, a member mounted upon the pole pieces and serving to hold the coils ln place, a resilient tongue carried by the said mem her, an armature upon the resilient tongue, said armature extending between the pole pieces, and means for regulating the movement of said tongue.

2. In a horn, the combination with a suporting plate, of a diaphragm spaced there rom, a post carried'by the diaphragm and extending through the plate, pole pieces mounted upon the plate, coils encircling said pole pieces, said coils being upon 0 posite sides of the said post which is secure to the diaphragm, a supporting plate formed with openings which engage with the ends of the pole pieces, other openings formed in the supportin plate, either si e of the said sup orting plate, bolts extending through sai hollow post section and through the openings in the said supporting plate, said bolts being secured in the base plate, a flexible tongue carried by hollow post sections upon ing plate being formed with otherporting plate,

the supporting plate, an armature carried flexible tongue extending between the by the pole pieces, and means for regulating the throw of the armature.

3. In a horn, the combination with a base plate, a flexible diaphragm spaced from the base plate, a post carried by the diaphragm, and extending through an opening in the base plate, pole piecespcarried by the base plate, said pole pieces being slotted near the upper ends thereof, coil spools which are adapted to fit overthe said pole pieces, a supporting plate formed with two sets of intersecting openings of different diameters, the larger diameter being slightly larger than the diameter of the pole pieces, the smaller diameter opening being substantially that of the reduced diameter portion of the pole pieces, said supporting member being adapted to be-inserted over the pole pieces through the openings of larger diameter, and moved so that the openings of the smaller diameter engage with the slotted portions of the pole pieces, said supporting openings, hollow sleeves extending between said supporting plate and the base plate, and'other hollow sleeves extending above the supportplate, the said sleeves being in alinement with the openings through the supporting plate, and bolts extending through said sleeves and through the opening in the plate,said bolts being secured to the base plate, a flexible tongue carried by said supan armature upon thetongue which extends between the pole pieces.

4. In a horn, the combination with a supporting plate, a diaphragm spaced from sald plate, a post carried by the diaphragm which extends through said plate, pole pieces carried by the plate, spools of coil'ed W1I'8 carried by the said pole pieces, a supporting plate having openings which engage with the ends of the pole pieces, said supporting plate being provided with additlonal openings vupon opposite sides, hollow sleeves which extend between the supporting plate and the base plate, shorter sleeves above the supporting plate, said sleeves'bemg in registry with the openings, a cross member resting upon the said sleeves and provided with openings through opposite ends, bolts extending through the holes in the cross member, through the hollow sleeves and throu h the openings in the supporting plate, saif bolts being secured to the base plate, an adjusting screw carried by the cross piece, a'flexibletongue carried by the supportin plate and'adapted to be engaged by the a justin screw, and an armature carried by the exible tongue, and adapted to extend between the pole pieces.

5. In a horn, the combination of a base plate, a flexible diaphragm spaced from said base plate, a post mounted upon the diaphragm and extending through the base plate, electro-magnets carried by the base plate, an insulated post supported from the base plate, a wire from said elect-ro-magnets being secured to said insulated post, a conductlng portion at the top of said post with which the wire communicates, an armature extending between the pole .pieces of the electro-magnets, a flexible supportfor said armature said flexible support being electrically connected with the electro-magnets, a

contact adapted to engage saidflexible support, a cover adapted to cooperate with the aforesaid element-s, contacts carried by said cover, one,of said contacts engaging with the conducting portion at the top of the aforesaid post, the other of said contacts being electrically connected with the contact that engages the flexible support.

' 6. In a horn, a cup shaped support, a diaphragm'supported within said cup shaped support, a base plate within said support and secured thereto, a 0st carried by'the diaphragm and exten ing through an opening 1n the base plate, electro-magnets supported on the base plate, an insulated post carried by the base plate, the wires from said electro-magnets being carried by the post, a contact carried by the upper part of said post, an armature adapted to extend between the pole pieces of the electro-magnets, a flexible support on which said armature is carried, a contact member engaging the support of the armature, a cover having rtions adapted to be secured to the cup s aped support, flexible contact pieces supported within said cover and insulated. therefrom, said 'contact pieces being adapted to engage with the contact carried by the insulated post and the contact which engages with the armature support, said contact. pieces being adapted to electrically connect with conductors. 1

In testimony whereof, I hereunto aflix my signaturein the presence of two witnesses.

RALPH R. ROOT. Witnesses A. J. Henson, N. C. HUBBA n. I 

